Are Your Surgeons Suffering in Silence?
The wear and tear of laparoscopy will take its toll on your doctors.
D
o you think
much about
the physical
toll surgeons experi-
ence as a result of
their jobs, about the
wear and tear on their
bodies from
laparoscopy?
We didn't either until
we talked to several
surgeons about repeti-
tive stress injuries and OR ergonomics for "The Aches and Pains of
Laparoscopy" on page 62 of this issue.
We had no idea laparoscopy was such a grueling and physically
demanding activity that took such a toll on surgeons' bodies. But
operating chopstick-style with your neck, shoulders, arms, wrists and
hands at odd angles and stuck in one position for hours put enormous
stress and strain on the body.
"Ergonomics may be the most important issue facing surgeons today,"
says Howard Ross, MD, chief of colon and rectal surgery at Temple
University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa. "This is an underappreciated
and an incredibly important topic."
Even though your surgeons might limp out of the OR after a day of
laparoscopy feeling like a giant bruise, you might not hear them com-
plain. Their machismo and their training won't let them.
"We're used to suffering," they say to themselves. "Medical school
conditioned us to work hard."
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Editor's Page
Dan O'Connor
ERGONOMICS Laparoscopy takes a real toll on surgeons' bodies.
